Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator presents one of the most demanding workloads in PC gaming, and the combination of the Intel Core i7-12700K and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D produces a dataset that clearly illustrates the shifting balance between CPU and GPU limitations. The measured frames per second across three resolutions and four settings presets reveal a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher visual quality, yet shows signs of CPU constraint at lower settings and lower resolutions. This analysis walks through the measured data points, contextualizes the performance against the specific hardware specifications, and provides a detailed breakdown of what users can expect from this pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and expected pattern: as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, average frame rates drop across all settings presets. However, the magnitude of this drop varies significantly depending on the quality level, which provides insight into which component is the limiting factor. At the Low preset, the average FPS falls from 212 at 1080p to 197 at 1440p, a reduction of 15 FPS, and then further to 151 at 4K, another 46 FPS drop. This total reduction of 61 FPS from 1080p to 4K represents a 28.8% decrease in performance. The relatively modest drop between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings suggests that the CPU is still able to feed frames adequately, but the significant drop at 4K indicates that the GPU is becoming the primary bottleneck as pixel count increases.

At the Medium preset, the dataset provides min and max FPS values in addition to averages, allowing for a more nuanced view. The average FPS at 1080p is 193, dropping to 159 at 1440p and 118 at 4K. This represents a 75 FPS total decrease, or 38.9% lower performance at 4K compared to 1080p. The min FPS values show a similar trend: 164 at 1080p, 136 at 1440p, and 100 at 4K. The spread between min and max FPS narrows slightly as resolution increases, from a 58 FPS spread at 1080p to a 35 FPS spread at 4K, which suggests that the frame time consistency improves at higher resolutions because the GPU workload becomes more uniform and dominant.

The High preset shows a steeper scaling curve. Average FPS drops from 149 at 1080p to 120 at 1440p, a 29 FPS decrease, and then to 88 at 4K, another 32 FPS decrease. The total drop of 61 FPS, or 40.9%, is slightly more pronounced than at Low settings. This indicates that the increased graphical complexity of the High preset places a heavier load on the GPU, making it the clear limiting component across all resolutions. The Ultra preset follows a similar trajectory, with average FPS of 142 at 1080p, 114 at 1440p, and 84 at 4K. The total decrease of 58 FPS, or 40.8%, is nearly identical to the High preset, suggesting that Ultra and High settings impose a similar relative GPU workload in this title.

The data reveals that at Low settings, the CPU plays a more significant role, as evidenced by the relatively small performance gap between 1080p and 1440p. At 212 FPS and 197 FPS respectively, the system is likely approaching the CPU's frame generation ceiling. However, once the settings are raised to Medium or above, the GPU's rendering workload becomes the dominant factor, and the scaling from 1080p to 4K becomes more linear and steep. This indicates that users who prioritize maximum frame rates at lower resolutions may find the CPU to be a limiting factor, while those who play at higher resolutions with higher quality settings will be firmly GPU-bound.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset is 84 FPS. This is the lowest average frame rate recorded for this combination, indicating that the Ultra preset at 4K represents the most demanding configuration tested.

Q: How does the Low preset at 1080p compare to the Ultra preset at 4K?

A: The Low preset at 1920x1080 produces an average of 212 FPS, while the Ultra preset at 3840x2160 produces an average of 84 FPS. This represents a 128 FPS difference, or a 60.4% reduction in average frame rate when moving from the lowest settings at 1080p to the highest settings at 4K.

Q: Is there a significant difference between the High and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 120 FPS while the Ultra preset averages 114 FPS. The difference is only 6 FPS, or 5.0%, suggesting that the visual quality gains from the Ultra preset come at a relatively small performance cost at this resolution.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS values recorded at 1080p Medium settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with the Medium preset, the minimum FPS is 164 and the maximum FPS is 222. The average is 193 FPS. This wide range indicates some frame time variability, likely due to the dynamic nature of the flight simulation environment.

Q: How does the combo rank among other tested combinations in this game?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 26th out of 2996 tested combinations for Microsoft Flight Simulator. This places it in the top 0.9% of all tested combos, indicating very strong overall performance.

Q: At which resolution and settings does the system achieve its highest average FPS?

A: The highest average FPS of 212 is achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. This is the only configuration where the average exceeds 200 FPS, with the Medium preset at 1080p coming close at 193 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

In the comprehensive benchmark database for Microsoft Flight Simulator, this specific combination of the Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D achieves a rank of 26 out of 2996 tested combos. This places the system in the 99.1st percentile of all tested configurations, meaning it outperforms the vast majority of setups tested for this game. The rank reflects the substantial GPU capabilities of the RTX 5090 D, which has a percentile rank of 92 against all GPUs, combined with the solid multi-threaded performance of the i7-12700K, which sits in the 84th percentile against all CPUs.

The CPU's nearest rivals in the general benchmark database provide context for its contribution to this combo's performance. The Intel Core i5-13600T has an average benchmark score of 35305, which is 0.1% higher than the i7-12700K's score of 35287. Similarly, the Intel Core i7-12700KF scores 35365, a 0.2% delta, and the Intel Core i7-13700T scores 35403, a 0.3% delta. These extremely small percentage differences indicate that the i7-12700K is very closely matched with these other processors in synthetic benchmarks, and the choice between them would have minimal impact on game performance.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals show a more interesting comparison. The AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT has an average score of 76904, which is 1.1% lower than the RTX 5090 D's score of 77712. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 78940, which is 1.6% higher, and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB scores 79396, 2.1% higher. The fact that the RTX 5090 D is placed among these rivals, despite being a desktop flagship, highlights the specialized nature of some GPU benchmarks. However, in the context of Microsoft Flight Simulator, the measured FPS data shows that this combo performs exceptionally well, with even the most demanding 4K Ultra configuration maintaining an average above 80 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four settings presets, providing a 12-point matrix of performance. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 212 FPS, the Medium preset delivers 193 FPS with a range of 164 to 222 FPS, the High preset delivers 149 FPS, and the Ultra preset delivers 142 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a total performance cost of 70 FPS, with the largest single step occurring between Low and Medium at 19 FPS, followed by a 44 FPS drop from Medium to High, and a relatively small 7 FPS drop from High to Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 197 FPS for Low, 159 FPS for Medium (with min and max of 136 and 183 respectively), 120 FPS for High, and 114 FPS for Ultra. The total performance cost from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 83 FPS. The step from Medium to High is the most significant at 39 FPS, while the step from High to Ultra is again minimal at 6 FPS. This pattern suggests that the High and Ultra presets impose a similar rendering load, with Ultra offering diminishing returns in terms of performance cost.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS values are 151 for Low, 118 for Medium (with min and max of 100 and 135 respectively), 88 for High, and 84 for Ultra. The total performance cost from Low to Ultra at 4K is 67 FPS. The largest single drop occurs between Low and Medium at 33 FPS, followed by a 30 FPS drop from Medium to High, and a 4 FPS drop from High to Ultra. At this resolution, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, as even the Low preset only achieves 151 FPS, which is well below the 212 FPS seen at 1080p.

The Medium preset is the only one with complete min and max FPS data across all resolutions. At 1080p, the spread between min and max is 58 FPS, at 1440p it is 47 FPS, and at 4K it is 35 FPS. This narrowing spread indicates that frame time consistency improves as resolution increases, likely because the GPU workload becomes more sustained and less subject to CPU-driven spikes or stalls.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the user's resolution and performance priorities. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers an average of 149 FPS, which is comfortably above the 144 Hz refresh rate common on modern monitors. The Ultra preset at 142 FPS is nearly identical, offering a 4.7% performance reduction for potentially improved visual quality. Given the minimal performance gap, the Ultra preset is the better choice at 1080p for users who want the best visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness.

At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 120 FPS, which is suitable for 120 Hz displays. The Ultra preset at 114 FPS is only 6 FPS lower, so again, the Ultra preset is recommended for users with 120 Hz monitors who prioritize visual quality. However, for users with 144 Hz or higher refresh rate displays, the Medium preset at 159 FPS provides a better match for the display's capabilities, offering a 39 FPS advantage over High while still maintaining a reasonable visual quality level.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes. The High preset averages 88 FPS, which is suitable for 60 Hz displays but may not fully utilize higher refresh rate panels. The Ultra preset at 84 FPS is only 4 FPS lower, so the choice between High and Ultra at 4K comes down to personal preference for visual quality versus a marginal frame rate difference. For users with 4K 120 Hz displays, the Medium preset at 118 FPS is the only option that comes close to saturating the refresh rate, though it does require a significant visual quality compromise compared to High or Ultra.

The data indicates that the Medium preset offers the best balance of performance and quality for users who want to take advantage of high refresh rate displays, particularly at 1440p and 4K. The Low preset, while achieving the highest frame rates, likely sacrifices too much visual fidelity for a flight simulator where terrain and aircraft detail are important. The High and Ultra presets are nearly indistinguishable in performance, making Ultra the logical choice for users who want maximum visual quality without a meaningful FPS penalty.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. It features a 25 MB shared L3 cache and supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 19784 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1850.5 in single-core, with a Passmark multi-thread score of 34404 and a single-thread score of 4013. These numbers place it in the 84th percentile of all CPUs, indicating strong performance for a desktop processor released in late 2021.

In the context of Microsoft Flight Simulator, the CPU's role is most apparent at lower resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 212 FPS, which is likely approaching the CPU's frame generation limit for this title. The relatively small drop to 197 FPS at 1440p Low (a 7.1% decrease) compared to the larger drop to 151 FPS at 4K Low (a 28.8% decrease from 1080p) suggests that the CPU is able to maintain high frame rates at lower resolutions, but the GPU becomes the bottleneck as pixel count increases.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are relevant for a flight simulator that must handle complex physics, AI traffic, and terrain streaming. The 20 threads provide ample parallelism for these workloads, and the 25 MB L3 cache helps with data locality. The boost clock of 5.00 GHz ensures strong single-threaded performance, which is important for the main game loop and rendering thread. However, the measured data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor at higher settings, where the GPU's rendering workload dominates. The CPU's percentile rank of 84 and its average benchmark score of 35287, which is within 0.4% of its nearest rivals, indicate that it is a capable but not exceptional processor, and the overall combo's strong rank in this game is primarily attributable to the GPU.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a flagship graphics card based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. The GPU has 21760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 raster operation units, with a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz. Its compute capabilities include 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The GPU's percentile rank is 92 against all GPUs, and its average benchmark score is 77712.

In Microsoft Flight Simulator, the GPU is the dominant performance factor at all settings above Low. The measured FPS data shows that at 4K, even the Low preset only achieves 151 FPS, which is a 28.8% reduction from the 212 FPS at 1080p Low. This indicates that the GPU's rendering workload scales significantly with resolution, and the RTX 5090 D's substantial memory bandwidth and compute resources are necessary to maintain playable frame rates at high resolutions.

The 32 GB of VRAM is particularly relevant for a flight simulator, which often loads large texture sets for terrain, aircraft, and weather effects. While the measured data does not provide VRAM usage, the capacity ensures that the GPU is unlikely to be constrained by memory at any settings preset, even at 4K Ultra. The boost clock of 2407 MHz, combined with the 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, allows the GPU to handle the complex shader workloads and geometry processing required by the simulator. The GPU's strong performance is reflected in the combo's rank of 26 out of 2996, which is in the top 1% of all tested configurations, indicating that the RTX 5090 D is providing exceptional performance in this title.